                          Pray for Me 
                     by Gary M. Cooperberg
                         June 24, 1994

     In, what appears to be, yet another attempt to soften up the Jewish people for his plan to
give away the Golan Heights to Syria, the aged Jewish premier stunned the nation by making a
statement one would have expected to hear from the President of Syria.  In effect Rabin actually
issued a threat to the Jewish People. 
     "Unless we give away the Golan Heights", intoned the gravel throated prime minister, "we
can expect a war with Syria within five to seven years."
     Why would he issue such a threat unless he has already decided to back down to it?  And
how can a responsible head of state come to his people, as if he were a representative of an
enemy, and issue such a threat... much less have the chutzpa to surrender to yet another militarily
inferior enemy in a futile attempt at appeasement?
     A recent Jewish immigrant from the former Soviet Union, an older fellow who is clearly
proud to be a Jew living in his homeland, made his home in Kiryat Arba, Hebron, the City of
Abraham.  I would occasionally see him strolling the streets on Shabbat, or, during the week, at
the swimming pool after a morning swim.
     He often would strike up conversations with me in his broken Hebrew.  His eyes would
flash with pride and happiness simply to be a Jew living in the Land of Israel.
     Yesterday he looked at me with a pained look.  His eyes were moist and his face had a
quizzical look of disbelief.  He had heard on the news that Rabin plans on giving away the Golan
Heights.
     "But the Golan Heights do not belong to Rabin," he implored me.  "They belong to the
People of Israel.  He has no right to give them away."!
     "Don't worry," I tried to reassure him.  "You are right.  He cannot give them away.  The
G-d of Israel will never let him do it."
     He gave me a strange look.  I saw a sparkle in his eyes.  Clearly he was not one whom you
would call a "religious" Jew.  But the spark of his pure Jewish soul could be seen in those eyes.
     "Pray for me," he implored.  "Pray to the G-d of Israel to save us from this madman,
Rabin, who is trying to destroy our homeland."
     I assured him that I would, and he accepted it as an accomplished fact by the manner of
his satisfied smile as he turned and left.
     This is the true strength of Am Yisrael.  The honest and pure faith possessed by so many
simple, ordinary good Jews, with or without a formal Jewish education, is a power far greater
than most of us realize.  The simple request by this beautiful Jew that I pray on his behalf for all
of Am Yisrael was a far more powerful prayer than any I could possibly utter.  It is one that the
Creator of the Universe cannot ignore. 